Why does it seem like a Vocaloid sounds like another Vocaloid?

Such as "Vocaloid X sounds like..." / "This new Vocaloid sounds like that Vocaloid that was previously released..."

With every new Vocaloid, comparisons have begun to become a frequent sight. While "some" traits a properties are shared by a few Vocaloids, take note that you can only make so many voices into the software before some similarities begin to surface as even though there are thousands of singers, within certain ranges, singers will always sound similar in real life. Eventually, as the number of ranges are covered, ranges that were not previously covered within the Vocaloids becomes harder to find and newer Vocaloids may have to cover ranges previously covered by past Vocaloids.

However, individual traits within a person's voice DO exist that separate them from others with a similar voice. Even though the wikia DOES use this kind of reference, it is only to note that there are similarities, the wikia will not flat out say "this voice is EXACTLY like..." because its not true. Even Lily and Meiko, usually noted to be similar and also noted on the wikia, only have certain properties if pitched correctly with each other. In fact, you cannot take Meiko’s song and put it into Lily and expect the same results.

Aside from Lily, other Vocaloids that have been subject to this have been; SF-A2 miki (depending on the pitch, she was accused to sounding like previous Vocaloids), Hiyama Kiyoteru (with Kaito, especially on the high notes), VY1 (with Miku Append; Vivid).

While comments like this can sound harmless, it puts potential fans and users off the Vocaloid ("Why does this Vocaloid exist when previously a Vocaloid covered this range?"). Sometimes this overshadows the Vocaloid's own uses and values, as seen with SF-A2 miki, who became recognized as one of the more versatile voices however was overshadowed by the claims of "being too similar to previous Vocaloids". Sometimes, the desire to compare the newer Vocaloids has been noted to "forced" comparisons into existence that may not exist at all.

In the opposite direction, however, some users may take interest in a Vocaloid that is similar to the one they currently use as they have experience in using that type of voice. This is why a number of Meiko users switched from using Meiko to using Lily, because they were convinced the two would work in a similar fashion to each other. This can also lead to misconceptions, as if the Vocaloid doesn't live up to the expectations of the user it can also be damaging.

Excuse the lack of refs

Since many opinions and views are gathered from sources that result in deletion (depending on situations), we can't link them. They will have to be self searched